The perfect poise of a Haws watering can

The perfect poise of a Haws watering can

It’s no wonder generations of gardeners have chosen Haws over other watering cans. Our two-handle system featuring lifting and tipping handles, not to mention the extended spouts of long-reach cans, makes the chore of watering less back-breaking – while the improved balance and control provides winning results.

The original design of our watering cans has remained little changed in the 140 years since our founder, John Haws, developed a can that would provide distinct advantages over the traditionally styled cans or ‘watering pots’ as they were called at that time.

Watering cans can be traced back to ancient Egypt, although these were probably little more than pitchers. By the 16th century, copper or ceramic pots with holes in the base and a closed lid were in use, the flow controlled by covering a small hole at the top with a thumb to create a vacuum. By the 18th century, watering pots with short spouts had been invented, and by the 19th century cans featured roses and longer spouts usually with a single, looped handle stretching from front to back. The spout was at a sharp angle which meant the can needed considerable tipping for water to flow, plus the single handle made this operation clumsy as you had to use it to both lift and tip. A new and improved approach to watering was needed.

Meanwhile, advances in horticulture, combined with similar changes in engineering and manufacturing, meant that by the middle of the 19th century greenhouses were relatively popular, many fitted with staging on which plants were positioned. Using a traditional can to water elevated plants became back-breaking work, the heavy cans needing to be lifted high and tilted to reach plants at the very back.

The new cans designed by John Haws were a huge improvement with good handling and stability, even when empty and at rest. The essence of those designs is what we manufacture today.

Below left:
An archival advertisement for Haws's Improved Watering Cans, from the company's early years in Clapton, London.

Below right:
An illustration from the Haws archive demonstrating the difference between the traditional French-style watering pot and the design John Haws developed in response, built for easier lifting and more precise tilting.

The design starts with a long spout attached to the bottom of the body (which contains the water reservoir) as this results in far easier tipping and makes reaching plants less awkward. There were also two separate handles. The first is the cross-stay – linking the spout to the neck – which keeps the can rigid and proves perfect for easy-lifting and carrying. The second is the handle at the back of the body which allows steady, gradual tipping, with far more control over the rate and angle of pour – this is of course particularly important for young plants and seedlings. The sturdy spout could also be used like a handle when filling the can from a dipping pool or water reservoir, as was common at the time.

Before too long, the Haws cans were widely recognised as being easier to use and a big step forward, especially in greenhouses, with rival manufacturers soon employing similar designs.

Today our Warley Fall range of watering cans most closely resembles John Haws’ original design. The centre of gravity when filled lies just below the cross-stay carrying handle, making it perfectly balanced – this is particularly important with larger capacity two gallon cans which weigh around 10kg when full. Lifting by the carrying handle, and using the tipping handle at the back to move through the user’s grip, controls the angle and, as a result, water flow. This reduces twisting and rotational strain in comparison with a single-handled can with a fixed grip position.

You can also readily steady the can using the cross-stay carrying handle. The long spout reaches further and means you don’t need to lean uncomfortably too far over, be it in the greenhouse or when watering patio displays. It also results in greater water pressure, so the flow through the carefully engineered rose remains constant for longer.

By choosing Haws, you are selecting a versatile, carefully engineered tool made to solve your watering needs in the most efficient and ergonomically-sound way – and one that may last a lifetime.

What was needed was a more manoeuvrable can, better-suited to lifting and precision watering… so he started thinking up ways in which to improve the traditional design.

When he left Mauritius for good in 1886, John returned to Clapton where he started the Haws company and secured the patent for a new kind of watering can. Painstakingly made by hand in those early days, Haws watering cans soon became known for their quality, versatility and practicality making them every bit as desirable as the hand-pollinated crop that originally inspired their development.

Since 1886...

The Haws story runs from a vanilla plantation in Mauritius in the mid-1800s to a workshop in Birmingham, where the cans are made today. The design has been refined and the company has changed hands more than once, but the standard of work has stayed the same.